Activision CEO Discusses Wii U

Share.

Bobby Kotick discusses his impressions of Nintendo's new console.

By Richard George

A month out from E3 2011, the reactions to Wii U are starting to fade. However one major industry figure has just voiced his opinion. In an interview with The Guardian, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was asked about his initial impressions of Nintendo's newest console.

"With the Wii U … from a development perspective, having a Nintendo device that is on parity with the other hardware from a graphics perspective was really necessary," Kotick said. "For the kinds of games we create, it was becoming very difficult for us to support the Wii with the expectations that our gamers have. I think that the user-interface itself is very clever – there will be a lot of innovation to come from having the second screen. It's also critically important that you can use the existing physical interfaces with the new device because those are really compelling. Nintendo has always done a very good job of thinking about the user experience and this is no exception."

A follow-up question asking whether Activision would be interested in bringing franchises like Modern Warfare to Wii U was dodged, though Kotick did mention the system would now allow "deep, rich multiplayer games." The CEO clarified that the company was still waiting for "more clarity from Nintendo" regarding its online plans for the system.